An illustrated history of Skagit and Snohomish Counties; their people, their commerce and their resources, with an outline of the early history of the state of Washington, Part 159

Author: Inter-state Publishing Company (Chicago, Ill.)
Publication date: 1906
Publisher: [Chicago] Interstate Publishing Company
Number of Pages: 1172

USA > Washington > Skagit County > An illustrated history of Skagit and Snohomish Counties; their people, their commerce and their resources, with an outline of the early history of the state of Washington > Part 159
USA > Washington > Snohomish County > An illustrated history of Skagit and Snohomish Counties; their people, their commerce and their resources, with an outline of the early history of the state of Washington > Part 159

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in connection with his father until twenty-two years of age when he came to the United States, going direct to Des Moines, Iowa, in the vicinity of which city he worked for a year and a half as a farm hand. He then removed to Colorado and for the six years following 1878 rode the cattle ranges of the Cen- tennial state. Mr. Roth returned to Iowa in 1882 and soon ofter opened a liquor store at Dexter, in Dallas county. The passage of the prohibition law outlawed his business, and until 1887 he passed his time in various occupations, then went to Cheyenne, Wyoming, in 1886, and engaged in work for Gover- nor Warren, now Senator Warren. He remained in that state for a year only, going to Omaha, Ne- braska, where he worked as a bartender until in the closing months of 1889 he came to the Puget sound country and located at Snohomish, where he established his present business.

In the summer of 1891 Mr. Roth married Miss Tillie Koch, a native of Germany. Mr. and Mrs. Roth have an adopted son, Stanley (Lamb) Roth, born July 21, 1891, son of Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Lamb. The mother's maiden name was Francis Koch. In politics Mr. Roth is a Republican. In fraternal circles he is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and of the Fraternal Order of Eagles, in both of which orders he is very popu- lar. As a citizen Mr. Roth is noted for his public spirit and for his support of men and measures of benefit to the community.

SAMUEL VESTAL. Prominent among the successful business men of Snohomish county and esteemed as a man of integrity and worth, is the well known pioneer whose life history is the theme of this article. The confidence won by years of fair dealing and by faithfulness in the discharge of duties in municipal and state offices found expres- sion in the last election when Mr. Vestal was sum- moned by the franchises of the people to the respon- sible position of county auditor, and by his effi- ciency, earnestness, and conscientious care he is abundantly justifying the confidence reposed in him. Like many other men who have contributed greatly in their several lines to the development of the West. Mr. Vestal is a native of Ohio, the date of his birth being November 16, 1844. His father, Sam- uel, was born in North Carolina in 1796, but was only two years old when he was taken by his par- ents to Ohio, becoming a very early pioneer of that state. The mother of our subject. Edith ( Bal- lard) Vestal, was likewise a pioneer of Ohio, having been taken there from the commonwealth of her nativity. Tennessee, when she was still a baby. She was born in 1803 and died in 1822. having out- lived her husband a year.

Mr. Vestal, of this article, remained on the par- ental farm until nineteen, attending the local public school during term time and notwithstanding the

fact that schools of the Buckeye state were not then what they are to-day, acquiring a very good edu- cation. Upon leaving the parental roof he taught for a year, then followed farming until 1872, in April of which year he pushed out. as his parents had done before him, to civilization's borderland. Locating in Kalama, Washington, he taught school there till 1876. but desiring an occupation of more permanency and with larger possibilities than peda- gogy has in a frontier community, he embarked in the mercantile business in Kalama. He continued to be one of the successful merchants of that town until May, 1883, when he sold out, moved to Sno- homish and began casting about for an opening there. In October following he opened a general merchandise store in the capital city of Snohomish county, where his home still is and where lie con- tinued business for twenty-one consecutive years. Shortly after closing out his mercantile establish- ment he was, as heretofore stated, elected county auditor and the duties of that office are engaging his attention at this writing. A leader in public af- fairs as in business, he has left an indelible imprint upon county and state. The honor and responsibil- ity of membership in the first legislature of Wash- ington, after her star had been added to the flag, were his, and for three years thereafter he served as a member of that body. He has served in the municipal council of his home city, and for eight years was a member of the school board. In polit- ical faith and allegiance he is a Republican ; in fra- ternal connection a Mason and a Workman ; in re- ligion, a Congregationalist.

Mr. Vestal was married in Portland, Oregon, in 18:2. the lady being Miss Harriet Martin. Her fa- ther, Norman Martin, was a native of Scotland, who came to America as a carpenter in the employ of the Hudson's Bay Company. He crossed the plains to Oregon in 1843. settled in Washington county, that state, and remained there continuously until his death in 1880, participating in the interest- ing events which constitute the early history of Ore- gon and also in the later development of his home county. Mrs. Vestal's mother Julia ( Bridgefarmer ) Martin, was a native of Kentucky and a pioneer of Oregon of the year 1842. She passed away in 1872.

Mrs. Vestal was born in Washington county, Ore- gon, in 1852. She was educated in the justly cele- brated pioneer college, Pacific University, at For- est Grove, and at the age of eighteen began teach- ing, which profession she followed at intervals for several years. She and Mr. Vestal are parents of the following children : Lucy, Norman C. and Web- ley M .. born in Kalama : Edith, Viola, Irving Bal- lard, Marie and Julia, in Snohomish.

HANS JOHNSON, a resident of South Sno- homish, is one of the public spirited citizens as well as properous business men of his community, a

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man who stands well in the estimation of his neigh- bors and whose support can be depended on for any measure calculated to benefit the general good. Mr. Johnson was born on the island of Bornholm, Den- mark, in February of 1856, second of seven chil- dren of John P. and Maria Christina ( Peel) John- son, natives of Denmark, where the elder Johnson is still following the occupation of a shoemaker. Hans Johnson received his education in the Danish schools, leaving his native land for the United States when twenty years of age. Soon after his arrival in New York he obtained employment as a farm hand and for the four subsequent years alternated between farming and factory work in the Empire state. In 1880 he joined the stream of immigrants who were then coming to Snohomish county. He chose the settlement at Snohomish as his headquar- ters and commenced the work of every pioneer. clearing the timber from the land that crops might be produced. Seven years after he came here he purchased eighty acres of land where South Snoho- mish has since arisen. Mr. Johnson's land was covered with giant trees and the work of clearing was a heavy task. Continued effort has trans- formed the place into one of the fine farms of the county, having an orchard of unusual bearing qual- ities and an extensive dairy, as well as producing general farm crops.

Before leaving Denmark, in February of 1876, Mr. Johnson married Miss Laura Larson, a native of Denmark, born January 4, 1852. Her parents passed away shortly after she had crossed the At- lantic. To Mr. and Mrs. Johnson have been born six children, who bear the names of Louis, William. Anna, Frank, Lottie and Myrtle. In political views Mr. Johnson is broad and liberal, with a general leaning toward the Republicans. He has served as road supervisor for two terms and is credited with having given the people complete satisfaction. Mr. Johnson is deeply interested in educational matters and is one of the staunch supporters of the public school system. In fraternal circles he is an Odd Fellow, a Rebekah and a member of the American Yoemen. As a pioneer of the Snohomish country Mr. Johnson was recognized as a hard worker and a man of great energy, which reputation he retains to the present time. Liberal in his views of men and measures, successful in business, he is one of the influential residents of Snohomish.

JOHN H. SHADINGER, dairyman and farmer of South Snohomish, though a resident of this sec- tion but a few years, has already won recognition as a man of energy and force. His home was for- merly widely known as the John Ford place. one of the modern and valuable estates in the county. which. in the hands of Mr. Shadinger, has lost nothing of its fame as an excellent producer and an attractive farmstead. Mr. Shadinger was born in

Indiana April 1. 1855, the son of Howard and Mary A. (Cox) Shadinger. The father is a Penn- sylvanian of German extraction, while the mother is a native of Ohio. In the fall of 1855, a few months after the birth of the subject of this biogra- phy, the Shadingers removed to Dakota county. Minnesota, and it was here that John H. received his primary education. In later years he took a course in the high school in Northfield. In 1877 the family removed from Dakota county to Sibley coun- ty, where soon after arrival John II. Shadinger bought a piece of land adjoining that of his father. In 1884 the son assumed the management of the properties of himself and father, the latter retiring from active life to reside at Glencoe. In 1898 the Sibley county farms were sold and Mr. Shadinger bought an eighty-acre farm near Glencoe. Stories of the equable climate of Washington having reached him, Mr. Shadinger decided to make his escape from the severe winters of Minnesota, and he came to Snohomish county in 1902, purchasing his pres- ent farm soon after arrival. In the fall of 1902 Mr. Shadinger's parents also came to Washington and they are now residents of Snohomish.

December 11, 1884, Mr. Shadinger married Miss Hattie E. Stocking, a native of McLeod county, Minnesota, daughter of B. F. and Mary F. ( Buley) Stocking. Mr. Stocking was a farmer who also had a wide reputation in his home country as an expert apiarist. He and Mrs. Stocking are now residents of Snohomish, having come in the fall of 1903. To MIr. and Mrs. Shadinger have been born five children : Gail B., A. C., Max H., Greta May and Mary Gertrude, the last named of whom is now dead. In politics Mr. Shadinger is a Re- publican, though not active in the party councils ; in fraternal affiliation he is a member of the An- cient Order of United Workmen and of the De- gree of Honor, and in religion the family are Metho- dists. They and their home are very popular, the house being a pleasant. modern one, and its in- mates people of refinement and culture. Mr. Shad- inger has been successful in all his ventures, and is a man of conservative judgment and of estab- lished ability and integrity.

ABEL JOHNSON. farmer, whose land lies a little to the south of Snohomish, is one of the pioneers of this county, having come here in 1877 to make a home for himself in the deep forests. Mr. Johnson was born in Sweden in October of 1844. the second of the four children of John and Carrie Jolinson, farmer folk who passed their entire lives in the oldl country. Abel Johnson received his edu- cation in the Swedish schools and later in life in the schools of Minnesota. He remained at home until he had attained his majority, and then passed three years in Norway. In 1869 he came to the United States and settled in Minnesota where he

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followed various avocations until 1874. In that year he came to the Puget sound country, stopping first at Port Townsend and later at Port Discovery. At the latter place he worked in a mill for two years, leaving to take up a homestead in Whatcom county. He abandoned the place and in 1876 went to Seattle and worked for two years. He then came to Snoho- mish and filed a preemption on the place he has since occupied. Heavy timber constituted the chief characteristic of Mr. Johnson's holdings when he first took possession and there are still remaining some of the giant cedars which measure sixty-four feet in circumference. He has cleared and placed under cultivation about seventy acres. It has been his method to work for others when possible to leave his own place without interfering with its progress.

In 1876 in Seattle Mr. Johnson married Miss Mary Goregeson, a Norwegian by birth, who came alone to the United States in 1873. To Mr. and Mrs. Johnson have been born five children : Charles G., a carpenter by occupation ; Lottie A., a graduate of the Snohomish high school and for three years a teacher in the schools of her home city; Edith, a student in the Snohomish high school, where she is preparing herself for the profession of teacher ; Arthur, now a high school student, and Olga, the youngest of the family. In fraternal circles Mr., Johnson is an Odd Fellow of the Encampment de- grees. In church affiliations, he is a Presbyterian, being now a member of the board of trustees. The Johnson farm contains 134 acres, a part of which is devoted to cattle raising, there being now. upon it a herd of forty of the Jersey grades. Mr. John- son is one of the most popular and respected men of the community, a conservative man and a citi- zen of the best type.

JOHN W. SILL, residing two miles south of Snohomish, is one of the well-known men in this section of the county, having been a resident here since 1877. He was born in Monroe county, Ohio, in December of 1847, the first of eleven children of Michel and Susan (Rake) Sill. The elder Sill was a native of Pennsylvania, but in early life re- moved to Ohio and later to Iowa. He was a pioneer of Snohomish county ; his death occurred at Sil- vana in 1900. John W. Sill received his education in the schools of Iowa, whither he went with his parents when but six years old. He remained at home until twenty and then for two years rented a farm on his own responsibility. He continued as an Iowa farmer until 18:2, when he came to Snoho- mish county and leased a farm two miles north of Stanwood. He lived on this place for eight years, in the meantime buying some adjoining land, in all, residing there for six months more than a quarter of a century. Soon after coming to Stanwood Mr. Sill, in company with his brother, Jasper, opened

a meat market in the town. After two years of partnership Mr. Sill purchased the interest of his brother and operated the shop until 1902, when he sold the business.

The following year he came to Snohomish and bought his present farm of 115 acres, which he has improved extensively until it is one of the fine upland farms of the county.

In Cedar county, Iowa, Mr. Sill married Miss Lucinda Switzer, daughter of Michel and Susan Switzer, natives of Pennsylvania who passed the greater part of their lives in Iowa, farming. Mr. Switzer late in life came to Washington, dying in Stanwood. Mrs. Sill was born in the Keystone state, but went to Jowa when quite young and was educated there. Three children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Sill: William, Mrs. Daisy McCall, a resident of the vicinity of Snohomish, and Mrs. Bertha Newcomb, who is living in Stanwood. In politics Mr. Sill is a Democrat ; in fraternal circles, a Mason. He is one of the substantial men of the county, possessing sterling qualities of character, and a highly enviable reputation for public spirit and keen interest in the affairs of the community.

FLOYD M. LARIMER is one of the native sons, of Snohomish county who is fast gaining a reputation as a successful farmer of her soil. Mr. Larimer was associated with his father up to the time of the latter's death, and since that time has taken the management of the home place, carrying it on in a manner which indicates that the mantle of the father has not fallen on unworthy shoulders. The father, William Wilson Larimer, was born in Wabash county, Indiana, in 1839, but when eight years old was taken by his parents to Iowa. Mr. Larimer was a farmer all his life, except the three years he served in the union army during the Civil War. In the spring of 1861 Mr. Larimer enlisted in Company I of the First Nebraska infantry and saw service at Shiloh and Fort Donelson, and in other engagements of Grant's army in its task of opening up the Mississippi. On being mustered out at Omaha, Mr. Larimer returned to his Jowa farm, where he remained until in 1872 he came to Seat- tle and for two years followed the trade of carpen- ter. In 1814 he came to Snohomish county and homesteaded a piece of land, later adding forty acres by purchase. Mr. Larimer died in Seattle in January 1902. Mrs. Minnie (Merwin) Larimer is a native of Ohio, where she received her education. She taught school in the Buckeye state for a num- ber of years and was teaching school in Iowa when, in 1867. she was married to Mr. Larimer. Floyd M. Larimer is her only living child. He was born June 1st, 1880. He obtained his education in the Snohomish schools and received his farm training under the tutelage of his father, since whose death

THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY

ASTOR, LENOX TILDER SOUNO : TIONS

GEORGE WALKER

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BIOGRAPHICAL

the young man has successfully managed the es- tate.

In June, 1903, at Seattle, Mr. Larimer married Miss Pauline Bound, daughter of Joseph and Mar- garet (Hammer) Bound, natives of Wales who came to Washington in 1888 and are now living near Snohomish. Mrs. Larimer was born in Wales in 1883. She received her education in Snohomish. Mr. and Mrs. Larimer have one child, William J., who was born on the home farm in April 3rd, 1904. In politics Mr. Larimer is a Republican. The farm is one of the fine places of Snohomish county, sixty of its seventy-five acres being under cultivation. The buildings are large and of modern construction. Cattle are the chief stock on the place ; there are twenty head. Mr. Larimer is one of the bright young men of the community, thoroughly reliable and of great promise.

JACOB A. MUDGETT, until recently one of Snohomish county's prosperous farmers, on land two miles west of Snohomish on the north bank of the river and on the line of the Snohomish & Everett electric railway, was born at Lynn, Massa- chusetts, in the summer of 1867, the son of Isaac and Ellen ( Little) Mudgett, both of whom were born in Maine, members of families that date back to colonial days and have connections throughout New England at the present time. The elder Mud- gett served in the Union army during the Civil War and after he came to Snohomish was one of the leading spirits in instituting a post of the Grand Army of the Republic at this place. May 12, 1883, the Mudgetts through the influence of Jolin Little, one of the oldest settlers, came to Snohomish. the father taking a soldier's homestead, in the vicinity of that town. For a time Mr. Mudgett operated a shoe store in the city, and he was also connected with the shingle industry, having one of the first mills of that character in the county. In his later years his sons were associated with him in busi- ness and on the farm. He died in 1893, but Mrs. Mudgett survives, a resident of Tacoma at present. Jacob A. Mudgett received his primary education in the old Bay State but, having come to Snohomish when fifteen years of age, he completed his studies by a course in the business college there. He at once engaged with his father in various lines of activity, and since the latter's death farming has been his chief occupation until very recently, but he has sold his farm and site on the Everett-Sno- homish car line. In the meantime he has taken a logging contract.

In Whatcom on the 23d of July, 1897, Mr. Mnd- gett married Miss Kittie Taylor, a native of Illi- nois and daughter of Allan and Mary ( Rhoads) Taylor. The father was born in Green County, Illinois, in 1849, came to the Puget sound country with his family in September, 1887, and bought

land near Lynden, where he continued to farm until March, 1905. He then moved to Skagit county and purchased a farm near La Conner, where he and the family still reside. Mrs. Taylor was born in Jersey County, Illinois, in 1853. Mr. and Mrs. Mudgett have two children. Easton L. and Geneva E. Mr. Midgett is one of the pio- neers of the county, a man of extensive acquaint- ance. a farmer of ability and a citizen of high stand- ing in the community. John Little, grandfather of our subject, was one of the earliest pioneers of Snohomish county, having come about 1863. He settled a mile southwest of where Snohomish City; now is, taking up three hundred and twenty acres on the south side of the river, with one mile of water front. He was born in Newcastle, Maine, February 5, 1813, and died at Snohomish, March 23, 1889.

GEORGE WALKER, whose home lies two miles west of the city of Snohomish, is one of the venerable men of the Puget Sound country, hav- ing lived here continuously for over forty years. Mr. Walker was born in Portland, Maine, May 23, 1823, the son of Benjamin and Sarah (Veasy) Walker, both of whom were natives of the Pine Tree state and of English extraction. The Ameri- can branch of the Walker family antedates the American Revolution and its branches are to be found throughout New England and the Atlantic states. When George Walker was a lad he was sent to Natick, Massachusetts, where he received a part of his education, the schools of his home state being primitive. At Natick young Walker lived with an uncle who was proprietor of a paper mill, and this business became thoroughly familiar to the young man. Ile remained at Natick until he was twenty-seven years of age, then started for the gold diggings of California, traveling around the Horn. For three years he followed placer mining in Eldorado county, then he took up a claim on which he made many improvements and was doing extremely well when he was forced to abandon the claim because of the discovery that it was a part of an old Spanish grant and that the title was therefore defective. Mr. Walker came to Puget sound in 1855 and went to work for the Port Madison mill for a time, later taking up fish- ing as an occupation. He soon came to Snohomish county and located on unsurveyed land just south of the present city. Ile later disposed of this land and in 1861 filed on a homestead. A preemption subsequently taken gave him a total of three hundred and twenty acres, on some part of which Mr. Walker has lived continuously for more than two score years. When he came to what is now Snohomish county there were only three settlers in it, Frank Dolan, John Cochrane and a sailor whose name has passed out

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of Mr. Walker's memory. Mr. Walker was on friendly terms with the red men, whose language he spoke fluently, Hunting and fishing occupied the greater part of the time of the Indians, but they were also employed in cutting wharf timbers and floating them down to the sound for shipment in sailing vessels bound for San Francisco. The whites generally were compelled to live the same manner as the Indians. For nearly a year Mr. Walker had on potatoes and subsisted almost wholly on fish and game. With the first crop of potatoes added to the bill of fare, they "lived high." to use Mr. Walker's own expression. When the first court was established at Seattle, Mr. Walker was drawn on the jury. The traveler in those days had to carry his own bedding and provisions and the trip to Seattle was by no means a pleasure jour- ney ; indeed at one time provisions ran so low that dried peas were the only edibles obtainable. The return trip to Snohomish was made by canoe in three days.

Mr. Walker married one of the women of the friendly Pilchuck tribe, with which he was ever on the most friendly terms. Mrs. Walker, whose maiden name was Betsy Dyer, has been an excel- lent helpmeet all through life, and especially amid the hardships in the pioneer days was of great as- sistance. Seven children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Walker: Anson, Igar, Leonard, Hulda, Mahala, Edward and Effie. The family has re- ceived an excellent education and its members are among the most highly respected in the community. Mr. Walker held the office of county treasurer in territorial days and recalls that at one time the finances of the county were represented by $? on hand. Mr. Walker has never used eyeglasses, but his vision is as penetrating as that of persons who have seen not one-quarter of the years that he has. In recent years he has lived a retired life, and has sold off much of his farm land in small tracts, some of it bringing as high as three hundred dol- lars per acre. His farm now contains about fifty acres, and is a very valuable piece of property, all under cultivation and with an ex- cellent orchard. In spite of the vicissitudes of the carly years of the Snohomish country, life has dealt gently with Mr. and Mrs. Walker. and the venerable man and his faithful wife, now in the evening of their lives, are contemplating with pleasure a past replete with interesting ex- periences, such as can never be repeated in the lives of the rising generation. Mr. and Mrs. Walker are of the few remaining landmarks of an age when Puget sound was new to the white man and to civilization.

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An illustrated history of Skagit and Snohomish Counties; their people, their commerce and their resources, with an outline of the early history of the state of Washington, Part 159

Author: Inter-state Publishing Company (Chicago, Ill.) Publication date: 1906 Publisher: [Chicago] Interstate Publishing Company Number of Pages: 1172

Author: Inter-state Publishing Company (Chicago, Ill.)
Publication date: 1906
Publisher: [Chicago] Interstate Publishing Company
Number of Pages: 1172